McKellar’s Bar

81 Gorbals Street, Gorbals, Glasgow.

McKellar’s Bar. 1960s.

Before the tenement building was erected and the old Gorbals two storey shops and businesses were here, there was a Victualler called Daniel Innes trading from this site in the 1850s.

When the tenement buildings were built the shop keepers occupied many of the shops on the ground floor. In the 1880s Alexander J Martin opened a public house here and served the locals until 1907.The pubs annul rent was £99. Mr Martin resided at 39 South Apsley Place, Gorbals.

The license was transfered to publican William Thomson in 1907, who kept the business going until the second World War. Mr Thomson was very successful also having pubs at 139 Camden Street and 183 Crownpoint Road in the east end of the city.

After the war Mr John McKellar took over the pub, McKellar’s was to become one of the best known pubs in the area, serving the locals with good quality liquor until it finally closed for demolition in the early 1970s. Mr McKellar was residing at 3 Kings Park Avenue in 1947.

Facts…

In 1899 there was 12 public houses trading on Gorbals Street also known as Main STreet, Gorbals.

During the 1960s there was still a lot of pubs here, in fact 11 pubs which survived for more than 60 years.